Fang Fiction

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London is a vampire romp between worlds.

Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, Tess spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days reading her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. She even dabbles in online conspiracies claiming Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist . . . until one walks through her door. 
 
It turns out the sexy villain of Blood Feud is trapped, and only Tess can rescue him. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help, and soon she’s on a secret island where the sun never shines, surrounded by deadly vampires—and most terrifying of all, she's falling in love with one of them. (Meanwhile, back in New York, Tess’s estranged best friend is having a sapphic paranormal affair of her own.)
 
Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but can Tess outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out if it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.

Stayman-London has written a fun, campy, sexy vampire novel. 

Stayman-London, Kate. (2024). Fang Fiction. New York: Dial Press.

The Gilda Stories

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez is a different kind of vampire tale. Written in segments, the first being published in the Village Voice, this tale follows a young Black woman from escaping enslavement through the year 2050.

In the 1950s, outside of New Orleans, Gilda finds a young woman hiding in her cellar. The Girl has escaped and fled from Mississippi. Gilda takes her in, moves her to town to help at her brothel. 

After a few years, when Gilda is ready to move on, she turns the girl - giving her the chance to live until she decides otherwise. All she asks is that the girl use the name Gilda.

The chapters that follow lead Gilda to San Francisco, Boston, New York and more. While telling the story of a gentler vampire archetype, one who gives as she takes, Gilda travel through generations of changes in civil rights.

Gomez is a classic lesbian novel. She explores Blackness, radical ecology, redefinitions of family, and the fluidity of the vampire in human society.

Gomez, Jewelle. (1991). The Gilda Stories. San Francisco: City Light Books.

Competence (Custard Protocol #3)

Competence by Gail Carriger is the third book in her Custard Protocol series featuring Prudence Akledama and her friends who are traveling the world in her dirigible (which looks like a giant lady bug).

Pru and her friends are on their way to South America. They are going to hunt or rescue a different type of vampire - the letter was vague.

Filled with wonderful supernatural creatures from vampires and werewolves to werecats and those who can take any shape, all of Gail Carriger's books are a great ride.

While it is impossible to choose a favorite book out of all I have read, Gail Carriger is definitely one of my favorite writers.

Carriger, Gail. (2018). Competence. New York: Orbit.

Imprudence (Custard Protocol #2)

Imprudence by Gail Carriger is the second book in her Custard Protocol series - continuing the world she created in her Parasol Protectorate series - a steampunk Victorian England with werewolves, vampires and adventure.

Rue (Prudence) has returned from her first adventure in her dirigible, the Lady Bug. While she is waiting for the next, something strange is going on with her parents. Her father, Lord Maccon is the Alpha werewolf in the London pack.

If the problem is what we all fear - the aging of an alpha that causes him to lose his mind and his pack to go crazy - there may be something Rue can do to help.

In Egypt there is a god-breaker curse that turns supernaturals back into humans. If her father is no longer a werewolf he can live out his life in peace. Unfortunately, werewolves don't float - making the dirigible the worst way to get him there.

Carriger has created a wonderful world peopled with eccentric and lovable characters. Rue heads the next generation of the beautifully. If you have not read these, get started today!

Carriger, Gail. (2016). Imprudence. New York: Orbit.

Manners and Mutiny (Finishing School #4)

Manner and Mutiny by Gail Carriger is the fourth book in her Finishing School series - about a school that teaches girls espionage along with etiquette.

England is awash in the latest technology - mechanicals used as maids, butlers and more. They have all been recently updated with a special valve - a valve that Sophronia and her friends think will lead to something big. Months ago all of the mechanicals stopped working and started to sing the same song - surely a test.

Sophronia, Agatha and Dimity continue their education at a strange school that floats in a large dirigible in the moors of England. They seem to be having a hard time getting any adults to believe the severity of the problem.

In this conclusion to the series, Carriger continues her wonderful alternate history of England in the 1850s. Her characters are delightful - fans will be excited to see some of them in her other two series. If you are looking for a fun, light read, start one of her series today. Her world is brilliant!

Carriger, Gail. (2015). Manners and Mutiny. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Prudence (Custard Protocol #1)

Prudence by Gail Carriger is the first book in her new Custard Protocol series - set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate series, but twenty years later, in an alternate history Victorian England were supernatural creatures (vampires and werewolves) have equal rights as humans.

Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama, aka Rue, has three of the most influential parents in London. Her blood parents are a werewolf and a preternatural who both work for the Queen. Her adoptive father, raised by him for political and security reasons, is a rove vampire and also works for the Queen. Together, the three of them plus the greater werewolf pack and vampire drones, raised Rue to be a self-sufficient, strong young woman.

When Rue is gifted a dirigible by her father, Lord Akeldama, she immediately sets about setting up a crew to set sail for India. Dama is sending her to explore a new tea that could become all the rage in London. Joined by her best friend, Primrose Tunstell, her brother Percy Tunstell and Quesnel Lafoux, Rue is planning a one to two month float. What she does not know is that Dama has other plans for her along the way. Plans she may have been told if they had not unexpectedly left a full day early.

Filled with beloved characters from her previous series, and introducing the next generation, Carriger has begun another wonderful series. While it is difficult to pinpoint one favorite book, her Parasol Protectorate, Finishing School and now Custard Protocol series are definitely up there on the list of the most fun I have had reading. Carrigers books are creative and delightful. If you have not yet been introduced, start reading them today!

Carriger, Gail. (2015). Prudence. New York: Orbit.

Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5)

Timeless by Gail Carriger is the fifth book in her Parasol Protectorate - an alternate history of Victorian England peopled with vampires, werewolves, and the usually manners of the time period.

Three years has passed since Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, relocated to a house in London to raise her daughter with the help of the vampire Lord Akeldama - a compromise because of the unusual nature of the offspring between a werewolf and a preternatural.

Prudence Maccon Akeldama is a creature not seen for thousands of years. Unlike her mother whose touch turns werewolves and vampire human, Prudence is a soul-stealer. If she touches a vampire or werewolf, she will become one until the next sunrise, and he will become human.

A summons, in the guise of an invitation, arrives for Alexia and Prudence to visit the oldest living vampire, Queen Matakara, in Egypt. So, using the disguise as a traveling stage production lead by Ivy Tunstell, the Maccons set off for abroad.

Carriger has created a wonderful alternate world. Timeless is the last of the series featuring Alexia, but you can continue with her young adult series, The Finishing School, and then Prudence's own series, the Custard Protocol. This has quickly become one of my favorite reads!

Carriger, Gail. (2012). Timeless. New York: Orbit.

Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3)

Blameless by Gail Carriger is the third book in her Parasol Protectorate series - a steampunk series that takes place in an alternate Victorian England.

Lady Alexia Maccon is in the middle of a scandal. And with the morning's paper it is obvious that everyone knows. It is enough for her stepfather to kick her out of his home - a home she should not be in in the first place being a married woman. And to add insult to injury, on her way to a friend's house with all of her belongings, her carriage is attacked my mechanical lady bugs.

Alexia calls a meeting of her likely helpers, to be conducted at Madam Lefoux's hat shop - where Alexia decides to get out of London for a while. She, Genevieve Lefoux and her butler turned secretary are leaving for Italy.

Carriger has written a mad chase through Europe as the continuation of her fabulous Parasol Protectorate series. If you like to read, read this series. Alexia Tarabotti is a wonderful character everyone would want on their side in a fight. And Madam Lefoux is delicious.

Carriger, Gail. (2010). Blameless. New York: Orbit.

Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2)

Changeless by Gail Carriger is the second book in her Parasol Protectorate series - an alternate history, steampunk fantasy set in Victorian England.

Lady Woolsey, Alexia Tarabotti Maccon, is one of a kind. In a world with vampires and werewolves, Alexia is the only preternatural person in England - and as such, any werewolf or vampire she touches reverts to human form until she lets go. She has recently gotten married to Conall Maccon, Lord Woolsey, leader of the Woolsey pack and head of the BUR - Bureau of Unnatural Registry of the British government.

Alexia herself was just appointed to the Shadow Council that advises Her Majesty, Queen Victoria on political and military matters. So when all of the supernatural creatures near the Thames revert to human - a plague of humanity -  one night, both Conall and Alexia investigate.

Carriger's series and world are wonderful. Characters from her YA series, the Finishing School, are seen in this series, twenty years later - including my favorite character, Genvieve Lefoux. If you are a fan of humor, fantasy, supernatural, mystery, steampunk, historical fiction or just great books, read this series!

Carriger, Gail. (2010). Changeless. New York: Orbit. 

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1)

Soulless by Gail Carriger is the first book in her Parasol Protectorate - set in an alternate, steampunk Victorian London.

Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster. She is twenty-six - much older than the average marriage prospect. Her mother and half-sisters have convinced her she will never wed because of both her forceful opinion and her Italian heritage.

While Alexia is at a ball, as chaperone for her sisters, she sneaks off to the library - her favorite room in any house - where she is attacked by a vampire. What the hungry vampire did not know, and what saved her, is that she is preternatural. Vampire and Werewolves can be changed because as humans they had an excess of soul, which refuses to die. Alexia has a lack of soul and neutralizes any supernatural creature she touches.When the vampire is not convinced to stop, Alexia hits him with her parasol - which accidentally kills him.

Lord Maccon, Alpha of the Woosley Werewolf Pack and in charge of supernatural investigations for Queen Victoria, is not surprised to find Alexia at the center of any controversy. They have been butting heads for months. New vampires have been appearing and rove werewolves have been disappearing, but Maccon does not think Alexia the cause.

Carrige has created a wonderful world of alternative history in Victoria England. Her werewolves and vampires are not the norm, but great characters who are within the stories instead of at the fringe of society. The Finishing School series (YA) takes place in the same world, roughly twenty years earlier. Carriger's books are fabulous! Read them for a refreshingly original, highly entertaining read.

Carriger, Gail. (2009). Soulless. New York: Orbit.

The Book of Life (All Souls #3)

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness is the third book in her All Souls trilogy.

Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont have just returned from 1591 London to present day. Diana is a witch and a time walker. Matthew is the vampire with whom she is in love. When she needed a place to study magic with a strong teacher, he picked the year and location and she took them there.

When they return not all is as it was. The search for a book now called Ashmole 782 by the Bodleian Library at Oxford - where Diana was researching when she met Matthew - has fueled an almost war between vampires, witches and daemons.

If Matthew and Diana can find the three missing pages torn from the book, the spell and information within will be revealed. They also have to deal with the Congregation because the ancient covenant says that creatures should stick to their own kind. And they will have to deal with an old enemy of Matthew's who he thought was dead - an enemy who wants to capture Diana.

Harkness has created a great fantasy trilogy. It is well thought out, epic in scope, and completely believable. Any fans of fantasy, history, adventure, paranormal creatures, or just good story telling will devour this series. 

Harkness, Deborah. (2014). The Book of Life. New York: Viking.

Shadow of Night (All Souls #2)

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is the second book in her All Souls trilogy.

Diana needs a teacher. She has tried to deny that she is a witch for most of her life, but now she needs to learn to use and focus her magic. Her aunts, who are also witches, cannot teach her enough to face what is coming. She needs someone who is like the witches of old.

Matthew would do anything to protect Diana, but he cannot teach her magic. His centuries of knowledge and super-human strength will not be enough. But as a vampire who has lived so long, he can help guide Diana to a place in time that was (relatively) safe for witches and help her find the right teacher.

The 1590s were not the safest time and people are suspicious of outsiders, especially ones who speak so strangely. But Matthew knows that at the time he was not in London, so it should be okay to travel through time and carefully hide in the city while Diana learns to control her magic. However, after more than 400 hundred years, he may have forgotten some of the obligations he had at the time. After all, anyone who sees him will assume he is the 1590s Matthew, not one from the year 2012.

Harkness is a brilliant writer. Though the series has supernatural elements it reads like historical fiction. Her stories will suck you in and hold your attention until well after you finish the book. As a history professor, she is a master of research and it is reflected in her work. Run to a bookstore and buy the first two books now! Then wait impatiently with me for her to finish the third (but also know that they are so good because of the time it takes her to research the layers of history she includes).

Harkness, Deborah. (2012). Shadow of Night. New York: Viking.

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1)

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is the first book in her All Souls trilogy which takes place in a slightly alter version of our world. Along with humans there are three other types of humanoids inhabit the earth - witches, vampires and daemons. They go about their lives just like us and try not to let us humans notice that they are different.

Diana Bishop is a historian and professor. She is taking a year to study the history of alchemy at Oxford where she had access to original illustrated manuscripts her work is based upon. She is also a witch. Since the age of 8 she has tried to deny her connection to magic and witchcraft. In fact, she refuses to use magic. And she has only slipped up 5 times this year, but fixing the washing machine should not count as the result of not using magic would have caused a flood.

Her year is going along on schedule until she requests the manuscript Ashmole 782. When she receives it, she can feel it magic. She lays her hand on it and it opens. Though she tries to focus on the illustrations and historical significance of the book, it feels like someone has put a spell on the book. She quickly finishes and returns the book to the archives.

Soon Diana notices more creatures (vampires, witches and daemons) in the Bodleian. And she is constantly being followed. Including by a vampire who introduces himself as Matthew Clairmont. He is a professor and doctor of genetics. Her aunts always told her that creatures do not mix with other types of creatures, but Diana is curious about him. And he is shocked that she had a book that everyone has been looking for for almost a century and simply returned it to the archives.

But others will not be so understanding of Diana perceived mistake. Witches and vampires will stop at nothing for the information she held in her hands. Daemons, who are less dangerous than the other creatures, will beg her for her help to retrieve it.

Harkness has created a world that will delight readers and leave them begging for more. Buy the first two books today and wait impatiently with me for the third to be published. Reader who liked the Night Circus will love this book.

Harkness, Deborah. (2011). A Discovery of Witches. New York: Penguin Books.

Immortal War (Vampirates #6)

Immortal War by Justin Somper is the sixth book in his Vampirates series.

Almost a year ago, twins Connor and Grace left the lighthouse they knew as home and set sail in their father's boat. After capsizing in a storm Connor was rescued by pirates from the Pirate Academy. Grace was rescued by the Nocturnal, a ship of Vampirates - vampires who refuse to kill humans for blood.

Now a growing group of rebel Vampirates threaten the seas and those now calling themselves Nocturnals have joint with the Pirate Alliance to fight back. Connor and Grace are at the center of the war and according to a 500 year old prophesy will be the ones who influence the outcome - though one may die in the process.

Somper has created a great series for fans of multiple genres. Vampires and pirates - what more do I need to say! Start the first book, Demons of the Oceans, now.

Somper, Justin. (2012). Immortal War. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Hawkes Harbor

Hawkes Harbor is S.E. Hinton's first adult book.

Jamie grew up in an orphanage. The nuns were less than encouraging about his future. After a stint in the Navy he decided he loved the sea but could do without all of the rules.

Told in flashbacks, Jamie's life twists and turns through a life at sea that includes smuggling precious gems, running guns, a close encounter with a shark, and a short trip to prison in a foreign country.

In the current setting Jamie is in a hospital. The vital man in the past has been reduced to a paranoid, frightened shell. His doctor tries to piece together what happened in a place called Hawkes Harbor that led to Jamie's current state.

This story has parts (the past) that are engaging and entertaining coupled with other parts (the present) that are confusing and odd. Eventually the truth is revealed and the past and present intersect.

Hinton, S.E. (2004). Hawkes Harbor. New York: Tor books.

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Series #1)

Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris. It is the series that the television show True Blood is based on.

Sookie Stackhouse has a fairly routine existence. She lives in Bon Temps, Louisiana with her grandmother. She is a waitress at a bar. She wishes that a vampire would come to Bon Temps. She would love to meet one.

Vampires have recently been given citizen status and have come out of the coffin. They can exist off of synthetic blood but there are also groupies - fangbangers - who volunteer their blood as well. But most of the vampires seems to hang out in bigger cities not the small town where Sookie lives.

When a vampire does come to the bar, life begins to change for Sookie.

Harris, Charlaine. (2001). Dead Until Dark. New York: Ace Books.

Vampirates: Blood Captain (Vampirates #3)

Blood Captain is the third book in the Vampirates series by Justin Somper. (The fourth book, which is a look back at an event that takes place between the first and second books is now available in the UK.)

Connor is aboard The Diablo learning to be a pirate. He is a brilliant swordsman and thinks he has found his place in the world. When he kills a man in a sword fight, he may have to rethink the whole pirate lifestyle.

Grace, Connor's twin, is aboard The Nocture with the Vampirates. Lorcan, who was injured trying to protect her, is in need of healing - more healing than the captain can provide. Therefore, Grace, Lorcan, and the captain make their way to Sanctuary. They are going to meet Mosh Zu Kamal, the vampirate guru.

Somper, Justin. (2007). Vampirates: Blood Captain. New York: Little, Brown, and Co.

Vampirates: Tide of Terror (Vampirates #2)

The Vampirates series by Justin Somper, continues with book two, Tide of Terror.

Twins Grace and Connor have been reunited on The Diablo. Connor is content to learn more about being a pirate. He has, in fact, signed the articles that promise him to the ship for life. Grace is not as content. She missed the vampirates.

When the opportunity to spend a week at the Pirate Academy - the elite training school for the children of famous pirates - Grace convinces Connor to check it out. Her hope is to keep him away from the sea to keep him safe.

While there, Grace begins having visions of the vampirate ship. All of her focus is on returning to the ship.

Will Connor agree to attend the Pirate Academy for the next two years? Will Grace ever see her beloved vampirates again? In the mean time, the vampirate that was kicked off of the main ship, is trying to form his own crew to seek revenge on the other vampirates.

Somper, Justin. (2006). Vampirates: Tide of Terror. New York: Little, Brown, and Co.

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1)

Demons of the Ocean is the first book in the Vampirates trilogy by Justin Somper.

Grace and Connor Tempest are twins who were raised by their father, the lighthouse keeper. When they were small he always sang them the same shanty, a song about vampirates.

Now they are fourteen and there father has died. The lighthouse will be taken over by another keeper and the twins are soon to be homeless. Instead of going to the orphanage, Grace and Connor steal their dad's boat and make an escape. When their boat is capsized in a storm each twin is saved by a different ship - neither knows for sure if the other is alive.

Connor is saved by Cheng Li - second in command to Pirate Captain Molucco Wrathe. The Diablo is a pirate ship that is known and feared throughout the seas. Connor will be taught to be a pirate, but how will he deal with the loss of his sister so soon after losing his father?

Grace is saved by Lorcan Furey, Midshipman to the Vampirate Captain on the strangest ship to sail the seven seas - a ship where the crew sleeps by day and only comes out at night. Will Grace become a vampirate or a blood donor?

Somper, Justin. (2005). Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Eclipse (Twilight series #3)

Eclipse is the third book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

In the third installment of the series, Bella has to choose between Edward and Jacob. They are both in love with her and she loves them both. What makes this decision more intense than some love triangles, she will be choosing between a vampire and a werewolf.

Again, I really can't say much without including spoilers, which I do not want to do. This is an exciting, well thought out series that is addicting. I cannot wait for the fourth book!

Meyer, Stephenie. (2007). Eclipse. New York: Little, Brown and Company.